Manufacture of soap



252. COMPOSITIONS,

Patented June 4, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST FLAMMER AND CHRISTIAN KELBER, OF HEILBRON N, GERMANY.

MANUFACTURE OF SOAP.

No Drawing. Original application filed November 16, 1925, Serial No. 69,488. Divided and this application filed August 16, 1926.

This application is a division of application No. (39388, filed November 16,1925.

The well-known soap powders comprising compounds containing active oxygen, more particularly containing per-salts, are made by mixing dry finely powdered soap and per salts in the form of powder with or without addition of other dry washing agents in powder form.

These soap powders made of dried soap and per-salts become readily dissociated, as the size of the granules as well as the specific weight of the constituents are different. Moreover, the soap in powder-form dissolves quicker than the per-salt when they are employed and there is thus the danger that the less soluble persalts of greater specific weight settle upon the articles being washed and, forming a concentrated solution, cause a strong local action and thus a damage to the material.

According to the present process, however, water containing soap is used for the manufacture of soap flakes or soap bands containing per-salts. The soap with a relatively low water content, for instance from 8 to 14% water, are exceedingly brittle when used alone. It appeared to us that it would not be possible to form the soap into thin flakes or the like when adding per-salts to the soap.

The form of thin flakes or the like is of particular advantage, as it ensures a uniform solution of the soap and of the per-salts contained therein. In this form it is not possible for perborate granules liberated from the soap enevelop to produce a strongly concen trated local bleaching solution which would cause holes to be formed in the articles being washed.

According to the present process soap having a small water content, say from 8 to 14% water and in any event, less than 15%, is intimately mixed with compounds in powder form, containing active oxygen, particularly per-salts, the mixture is then rolled out thin in rolling machines and out up in a cutting machine into small pieces in flake form. The essential feature of the present process consists in mixing soap having a small water content and per-salts, and bringing these mixtures into a form which with certainty prevents the constituents becoming dissociated, which would cause damage to the articles being washed, and ensures an exceedingly ready solubility.

Serial No. 129,664.

A modification in the manufacture of translucent flakes or hands from a mixture of soap having a small water content and containing salts giving off oxygen consists in adding to e w ,5. i, fic e rlrflili fiii iii of' their esters. More strongly unsaturated hydrocarbons, for instance those having the formula C H are not suitable, as they do not obviate tli'eTIaiiger of the decomposition of the compounds which give off oxygen. In this case only the acids mentioned above are suitable.

In this modified form the invention may for instance be carried out as follows:

To a mixture of soap having 85% fatty acid and containing sggliu n egboratg a quantity of ogtadecen e jor instance 2%, is added, and after flie said octadecene has been mixed with the mixture of soap and per-salt the mixture thus obtained is passed through a rolling machine. Smooth translucent flakes are obtained after the elastic and translucent bands, leaving the rolling machine, have been suitably divided.

Thus the main idea underlying the present invention consists in this, that for making soaps into a stable mixture with salts giving oif oxygen soap having a water content of less than 15% has for the first time been used. Hitherto it has been assumed that the soap should be completely dry, in order to prevent the destruction of the per-salts; it had not however been found possible to make bands or flakes from the dry soap combined with the per-salts. For the same reason it had been found still more difficult to make translucent flakes or bands, such as can be made according to the present invention, even with completely dried soap.

The above description should not be understood as limiting but rather descriptive of the best mode of carrying out our invention which we claim to be:

1. A process for the manufacture of soap flakes which comprises forming soap containing water but less than 15% thereof, incorporating with said soap, an alkaline persalt and a hydrocarbon of the (LII; type containing more than 9 carbon atoms and forming the mixture into flakes.

2. A process for the manufacture of soap flakes which comprises forming soap containing water but less than 15% thereof, in-

corporating with said soap, sodium perborate and a hydrocarbon of the C H type con taining more than 9 carbon atoms and form- I ing the mixture into flakes.

3. An article of manufacture comprising soap flakes containing water but less than 15% thereof, an alkaline per-salt and a hydrocarbon of the C H type containing more than 9 carbon atoms.

4. An article of manufacture comprising 10 In testimony whereof we afiix our signa- 1 tures.

ERNST FLAMMER. CHRISTIAN KELBER. 

